LSU could be college football's much-needed chaos in 2018

Ed Orgeron called LSU's final timeout of the first half with 3:05 left in the first quarter against Miami.

Of course, the Tigers responded by scoring 30 unanswered points in a convincing 33-17 victory against No. 8 Miami at AT&T Stadium on Sunday. No. 25 LSU figures to shoot way up the polls as a result of a surprising blowout against a top-10 opponent.

If we learned anything then it's that LSU could be the chaos team the SEC — and perhaps college football — needs in 2018. Ed Orgeron went from hot seat to Cajun cool in less than four hours. Ohio State transfer Joe Burrow kept the Tigers organized on offense, and defensive coordinator Dave Aranda had the defense in the right places. Miami didn't convert a third down in the first half.

Are you not entertained? Consider that the five most popular national championship picks — Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Georgia — won by an average of 41.6 points per game this weekend. Sure, Auburn, Wisconsin or Penn State could disrupt that. LSU, however, makes for a far more interesting development.

Just look at how quickly this blowout unfolded at Jerry World. LSU broke open a 3-3 game after taking those timeouts. Nick Brossette's 50-yard touchdown run gave LSU a lead it would never give back. Burrow hit Ja'Marr Chase for a 22-yard pass, one that could have easily been reviewed, to set up Brossette's second touchdown. A 45-yard interception return for touchdown by Jacob Phillips was the nail in the coffin. It gave the Tigers a commanding 27-3 halftime lead ith 4:21 left in the second quarter.

Even kicker Cole Tracy hit four field goals, including a 54-yarder that bounced in off the cross-bar.

It was understandable to pick LSU to pull the upset, but this was domination for the most part. The Tigers kneeled out the final 1:30 of the first half. Nobody expected that. ​Of course, Miami battled back from a 33-3 deficit with a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns and briefly made it interesting. Nobody teeter-totters like this quite like LSU, and it's been like that since the Les Miles era.

Burrow's presence under center was the calming presence. He finished 11 of 24 for passing for 140 yards, but he didn't make the big mistake. He made a check at the line of scrimmage before Brossette's big touchdown run. It was a decent debut for the quarterback tasked with getting LSU back in the SEC West conversation. Burrow will need to be more efficient as the season goes on, but it's a step in the right direction.

Brossette, who had 22 carries for 125 yards, answered questions about whether the Tigers had a true lead back. The receivers averaged 12.7 yards per reception. The offense looked good. That's a far different conversation that would have happened had LSU lost, given offensive coordinator Matt Canada's awkward departure in the offseason. Orgeron's faith in new offensive coordinator Steve Ensminger passed the first test.

A defense that features All-American-caliber players — like linebacker Devin White, who had double-digit tackles, and cornerback Greedy Williams — hounded Miami quarterback Malik Rosier, too. LSU always has talent on that side of the ball. Do they collectively have what it takes to break up the monopoly at the top of the SEC?

We'll get some more information there when the Tigers visit Auburn in two weeks. Georgia (Oct. 13) and Alabama (Nov. 3) visit Tiger Stadium this year. This performance was enough to give LSU a stake it previously might not have had in that SEC race, and that without question makes that chase more interesting, given the Tigers' unpredictable nature. We still would be equally unsurprised whether the Tigers finished 11-2 or 8-5.

Like we said, it's been like that since the Miles era. But after watching LSU on Sunday night, we're more excited to see how the chaos unfolds with Orgeron.